Butt Wait!

A review and road test of the Pro Pad Cloth Seat Pad
5/12/2011

 

They look better than they perform. Click on pictures for full size

I was given a Pro Pad from a friend yesterday and went for a quick ride. Except for the fact that it wasn't attached properly it felt great. An hour later and with the seat completely off twice it was as tight as a drum.

The pad is supposed to be removable and goes on with an elastic that slips over the front, and 2 seat clips for the rear. But I couldn't get it tight enough so we ended up tying the back one together under the seat itself.

(Once you do that it limits the position you can move the pad because of the side panels.)

Today I took it for a long test run.

At 40 miles I knew it was not going to be good. It kept slipping downward when I braked, and back when I accelerated. This is mainly because there is a slight downward slope towards the middle of my custom seat.

At 80 miles I was lifting my butt up every 10 minutes to try to re-position myself, but it was a real pain in the ass. (ironic isn't it?)

At 100 miles I was ready to just cut it off and throw it away, but I wanted to give it back to my generous, well meaning friend.

At 120 miles I pulled up to his house, found an allen key and a socket wrench and took the seat and pad off. I left it (just the pad) in his garage with a thank you note and a promise to buy him lunch.

It was really a terrible ride and although a good idea it wouldn't work for me and this bike. For a cruiser or a bike with a flatter seat it may help, but I suggest not wasting your time and money. A custom seat is worth the cost many times over and lasts for years.